Photo:China's Foreign Ministry

China hopes that the Afghan Taliban will make a clear break with East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and all other terrorist organizations, resolutely crack down on them and remove obstacles to regional security, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said while meeting the Taliban delegation from Afghanistan in Tianjin on Wednesday. 

Wang stressed that ETIM is an international terrorist organization listed by the UN Security Council, which poses a direct threat to China's national security and territorial integrity. Cracking down on ETIM is the shared responsibility of the international community.

As an important military and political force in Afghanistan, Afghan Taliban is expected to play an important role in the peaceful reconciliation process in Afghanistan. We hope that Afghan Taliban will put national interests first, hold high the banner of peace talks, establish the goal of peace, build a positive image and pursue an inclusive policy, Wang said. 

Wang met with the delegation led by Taliban political commission representative Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin on Wednesday. 

Wang said as Afghanistan's largest neighbor, China has always respected Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

The hasty withdrawal of the US and NATO military troops from Afghanistan marked the failure of the US policy in Afghanistan and it's an opportunity for the Afghan people to stabilize and develop their country, Wang said.

Baradar said Afghan Taliban will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to attack China. He hopes that China would get more involved in bringing peace to Afghanistan and play a bigger role in the country's future economic development.

Global Times